At the present time, there are two principal ways for chilling beverages, such as wine. First, in many stores where beverages are sold, extended refrigeration cases are provided to maintain a representative stock of wine in a chilled condition. Another arrangement for chilling wine which is commonly used is the ice bucket. Thus, in restaurants, for example, the selected bottle of wine, which is normally not chilled, is brought to the table and placed in an open bucket or container which is filled with ice, to chill the wine.
However, neither of these two types of arrangements are satisfactory for many purposes. Thus, it is expensive to maintain large stocks of wine in refrigerated cases. With regard to the use of ice buckets, they are quite satisfactory under controlled conditions, but are not practical for chilling wine or other beverages while the beverages are being transported in a car or taken to a picnic, for specific examples.
Accordingly, a principal object of the present invention is to provide a simple, effective, and inexpensive technique for chilling beverage containers, such as wine bottles.